Engine-starting system



J. K. DELANO. ENGINE STARTING SYSTEM,

APPucATlou man nic. 9, 1916.

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Patented June 29, 1920.

PATENT OFFlCE.

JAMES K. DELANO, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

ENGINE-STARTING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1920.

Application led December 9, 1916. Serial No. 136,114.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES K. DELANO, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York, in the county of New .ork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starting Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable4 others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to engine starting systems; and it relates more particularly to electrical starting systems for internal combustion engines employed on self propelled vehicles.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a system of this character which occupies a minimum amount of space, and which can readily be embodied in or combined with types of engine construction in common usewithout material alteration of such construction, and which is characterized by simplicity, compactness, and freedom from complicated caring connections to the engine shaft. further object is to provide a complete system for starting, ignition and, optionally, lighting purposes which conforms to the foregoing general description. g

A11 important feature of the invention is the utilization of the half time gear of the engine, or a gear operating on the same center, as an element of a ear train connecting the engine shaft with t e armature shaft of a direct current dynamo electric machinel constituting the starter and generator unit of my improved system; and an essential and distinguishing characteristic of the arrangement is that the speed ratio between the engine shaft and said armature is fixed and invariable for any given installation.

In order to explain more fully the nature of the invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings certain practical embodiments thereof. In these drawings Figure 1 is an end elevation, part y in section, showing one way of gearing the engine shaft to the armature shaft.;

Fig. 2 is a partial side View of the construction of Fig. 1, parts being broken away and in section;

Fig. 3 is a section of a modified form of gearing, taken for the sake of clearness on a line corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar section of another modication; and

Fig. 5 illustrates diagrammatically the electrical relations between the parts of the system.

`10 represents an internal combustion e11- gine, assumed in this instance to be a 4- cylinder engine. 11 is the engine crank shaft, 'carrying pinion 12 which meshes with half-time gear 13 on the cam shaft 14 which 1s driven at half the crank shaft speed. The gear 13 meshes with pinion 15, fast with the armature shaft 16 of the dynamo motor 17 which is solidly supported as by brackets or otherwise on the side of the engine crank case. To increase the rigidit of the construction, a plate 18 througi which the three shafts extend may be secured to the flush ends of the crank case and the dynamo motor housing.

It is to be noted that in the construction described, the gear train 12, 13, 15 constitutes the sole driving connection between the armature shaft and the engine shaft; and that the speed or gear ratio between said shafts remains the same whether the electric machine be operating as a motor to -crank the'engine shaft, or as a generator driven by the en int shaft. The gear ratio may be as desire` In the present example, the armature shaft speed is twice that of the engine crank shaft. The gears may be boxed in by a cover 19.

Most desirably the current distributing and interrupting mechanism of the ignition system is rotatably mounted on the rear end of the dynamo motor housing and is geared to the armature shaft, thus forming a compact unit mechanically. The details of the distributor and interrupter construction are not shown in Fig. 2, as such details are understood by those skilled in this art. Both the distributer and interrupter or breaker are contained in housing 20, mounted on a common spindle carrying gear 21, which meshes with a drivin pinion 22 on the armature shaft. The high tension insulation is indicated at 20a. The ratio of gears 21, 22, is such as to secure proper timing with respect to the engine shaft. In the present example, using a li-cylinder engine, the distributor and breaker are driven at one-half the speed of the armature shaft, that is, at the same speed as the engine shaft.

In some cases it may 'not be convenient or mechanically desirable to (fear the armature shaft directly to the hal -time gear as 1n Figs. 1 and 2, and in such cases arran e ments like those illustrated in Figs. 3 an 4. are useful. In Fi 3, the armature shaft pinion 15 meshes with a ear 23 loose on the cam shaft 14 outside t e half time gear. Gear 23 meshes in turn with pinion 24: on the engine shaft. This arrangement has the advantage that the cam shaft is entirely relieved of any torsional, strains incident to the driving connection between the engine and armature shafts. In Fig. 4 the centers of the amature shaft and the engine shaft are somewhat farther apart. The armature shaft pinion here meshes with a ear 25, larger than gear 13 and in this instance bolted thereto as well as keyed to shaft 14. The gear train is completed through pinion 12 as in the first example.

5 represents in a general way the electrical relations of the various parts of the system. The dynamo motor 17 is connected by mains to the storage battery 26, a suitable switch or cut out device being provided at 27 to open the circuit when desired. The dyn-amo motor has a shuntfield winding 28 and a series field winding 29. AThe series field Winding is so arranged that when the dynamo motortakes current from the battery and operates as a motor to start the engine, the series eld winding reinforces the shunt field winding to give a strong starting torque; but when the dynamo motor is op erating as a generator, s\ 1ch series field winding acts in opposition to the shunt to weaken the field in such manner as to prevent excessive charing of the batmry at high engine speeds. he ignition circuit is connected across the battery mains as shown, 29a representing the hi h tension transformer oi' which the secon ary is connected to the dis tributer at 30, from which high tension is distributed to the spark plu s 31. The primary circuit is interrupted y the suitably timed make and break apparatus before mentioned and here indicated enerally at 32. A condenser 33 is connecte across the contacts in the usual manner.

It is to be understood that the specitic method here illustrated of regulating the How of current from the dynamo electric machine to the storage battery is merely one of several methods which can be used for this purpose; and that the invention is therefore not limited to this particular method of regulation.

What I claim ist y c y 1. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a housing and a crank shaft projecting outside said housing, of a pinion on the outer end of said shaft, a halftime or cam shaft for said engine, a dynamomotor havin a housing and an armature shaft extending outside the last-mentioned housing, a pinlon on the outer end of said armature shaft, a gear on said half-time shaft arranged to mesh with both said pinions, the gearing being arranged to provide a fixed speed ratio between the armature and crank shafts whether'the engine or the dynamo motor is driving, and means Vfor rigidly connecting the engine housing and dynemo-motor housing and inclosing said gear ing.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a housing and a crank shaft projecting outside said housing, of a pinion on the outer end of said shaft, a halftime or cam shaft for said engine, a dynamomotor havin a housin and an armature shaft exten ing outsi e said last-named housing, a inion on the outer end of said armature s aft, a gear on said half-time shaft meshing with both said pinions, the gearing being arranged to give a lixed speed ratio between the armature and crank shafts whether the engine or dynamoanotor is driving, the engine housing and dynamo-motor housing having ends that are iiush with one another, and a plate secured to the Hush ends of said housings to rigidly connect them.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine having a housing and a crank shaft projecting outside said housing, of a pinion on the outer end of said shaft a halftime or cam shaft for said engine, a dynamomotor havin a housin and an armature shaft extemng outsi e said last-named housing, a pinion on the outer end of said. armature shaft, a gear on said half-time shaft meshing with both said pinions, the gearing being arranged to give a fixed speed ratio between the armature and crank shafts whether the engine or dynamomotor is driving, the engine housing and dynamo-motor housing having ends that are flush with one another, a plate secured to the iush ends of said housings and provided with openings adapted to receive said shafts, and a cover inclosing portions of said shafts and the gearing connecting them.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

JAMES K. DELANO. 

